The Luckiest Girl In The World

I believe in Fate.

You know what people say. All things happen for a reason. It meant to be. It was written in the stars. Kismet. All the things people say when something lovely occurs, such as two people meeting and falling in love against all odds.

When things are slightly askew in my life, I still try and apply the same sentiment. Rather than focusing on the specific negative event at hand, I try and see the big picture. Sometimes it's more difficult...such as when a beloved friend passes away at the age of 51. It's very hard to find the silver lining then.

But generally speaking, I like to think that life on Earth is a great, big jigsaw puzzle. Sometimes, it just fits. Sometimes we try and make a piece fit, but no matter how we jam it in, there's no way it would work. Other times, we're given a piece that seems incredibly ugly, or misshapen, or just does not seem to fit anywhere. And that's when I have to trust that it's been given to me for some reason, and one day, I might discover what that reason is. Or not.

Lately, I've felt as though my jigsaw has been stomped on, chewed up, and spat out by some irate toddler. There's been so many things that have knocked us for six in the past 18 months, I think I'd be forgiven for wondering what was coming next.

After Maisie's birth 18 months ago...
Christian had heart surgery...and recovered beautifully.
I contracted septicaemia...and didn't die.
My mum was diagnosed with breast cancer...and is in remission.
We had a violent home invasion...which we survived.
The school both Christian and I worked at went into administration...and he got another job.
Christian had a prelude to a heart attack...but he didn't have a real heart attack (thank Buddha!!)
I applied for four jobs at the end of last year, and didn't even get one interview...but I got to stay at home with my babies for a while longer.
We lost so much money when the school went under, and then even more living on one wage....um, sorry. Nothing positive there.
Our builder is nowhere near finishing our house, even after 15 months...nope. I've got nothing shiny to say about that one either.
Our money is fast disappearing paying for furniture storage, rent, and a mortgage on the new house....but....

Yesterday, I got a job!!!! How about that for luck?

Oh, you don't need to tell me. I'm the luckiest girl in the world.

I was already pretty excited yesterday, because besides being the last day of term, the Prep mums had organised to have a few drinkies together at a local establishment (without the children, obviously. Sheesh.)
At school drop-off yesterday, the mood was high. Cheeks were flushed, scarves were flung jauntily over freezing shoulders. The mummies were heading out!! It was indeed a day to remember.

I popped into the school office to speak to the AP about doing some relief teaching next term. Let's just say our bank balance moans every time we approach an ATM. Despite our best efforts, we just can't afford for me to stay at home full time any longer. So I bit the proverbial and signed up to cover absent teachers two days a week. I thought if I was lucky, I'd get one day every few weeks or so. Better than a kick in the backside.

I arrived home to a ringing phone. Would I like to teach Grade Five for two days a week for the rest of the year? Would I? Um, let me think about that for a nanosecond....Are you serious?

After I finished jumping around like a deranged person and punching the air (if anyone was watching, I sincerely apologise. I will pay for your eyes to be lasered at your earliest convenience), I started thinking. I'd need to spend the holidays planning. I'd need to get into my classroom and organise myself. I'd need to collaborate with my teaching partner. I'd need to pay the hairdresser a long overdue visit (quite possibly, the poor girl will shrink away from me. It's been so long since my last colour my tips have cobwebs).

Quite simply, it was the best news I have had in a VERY long time. And only now that this has happened am I able to see the bigger picture. Now, stay with me. If my school hadn't closed, and if I hadn't been rejected by four different schools sight unseen, and if Christian and I hadn't spend a year and a half becoming poorer by the minute due to my unemployment and our builder's inability to build a house, and if I hadn't been desperate enough to relinquish some of my time at home with the girls to doing CRT work, which quite frankly I don't enjoy, then I wouldn't have been able to take a job at a school I love, with my favourite year level. Not only that, but I get to work two days a week and then spend the rest of my time with my kids.

I told you. Luckiest girl in the world.

To top the day off, Christian took the kids and I out to Taco Bill for dinner, which made me even happier because a) I didn't have to cook or wash a dish, and b) if getting fat wasn't an issue, I could eat carne con chile colorado every day. Every. Day.

When the kids were in bed, I slapped on some makeup, threw on clean (ish) jeans, and hurtled out of the house to meet the other mums at the designated watering hole. In the end, there were only five of us from Jack's class, but it was really nice to get a bit dressed up (although, I had realised while getting dressed that I literally had nothing to wear...so I wore an ancient blouse and hoped I could pass it off as vintage), have a glass of bubbly and chat to some really gorgeous women.

So what did we talk about? Our kids, to start with. And then the chat got juicy. We discussed hot doctors (and why they're no good because you can't tell them anything personal), the frustration of having five episodes of Greys on the hard drive, the need to stay up until midnight simply to get some "me" time, and toilet paper versus baby wipes. Yep. And even though I'm not going to share the ins and outs of that one, it was hilarious!!

That's another piece of the jigsaw puzzle that's exactly the right shape - my new school posse. How lucky am I to meet a such a fabulous group of women? Renee, Anna, Trish (our adopted member for the night!) and Sue - thanks for completing my bestest day! Amazing how much fun you can have on only one alcoholic drink...

So there you have it. New friends, new job, glass of champers, no washing up. Best day in a long time. Hands down, I am the luckiest girl in the world.